FGM: Human Rights vs Cultural Relativity

Given this complex issue, it is no wonder that this practice is so hard to eradicate. That is not even considering the cultural relativity argument that is often used by the proponents of FGM . These people claim that those who are trying to abolish FGM are ethnocentric-cultural-imperialists. One paper compared Breast Implants to Female Genital Mutilation as an example of this debate. Here is a striking anecdote :

"A student related to me that she had a conversation with a Nigerian, male friend in which she told him that she was very excited that her professor was writing an article on female genital mutilation. She reported that the he became enraged and shouted, “How dare this American woman characterize a custom of my culture as mutilation, and further, what right did she have to stick her nose into something that had nothing to do with her or her country.”

I have to admit that as a young woman growing up in the US but of African descent, this debate was quite personal for me. Not only am I from a country where FGM is quite prevalent but my matrilineal tribes practice this custom. It was therefore quite a rude awakening for me to visit last summer- I found myself in the most heated arguments with women who had undergone the procedure and wanted to see it continue. They argued as stated above, that it is a very important component of their of rite of passage ceremonies and that if they did not circumcise their daughters, the daughters could not marry. How do we resolve this practical problem; in making FGM illegal, if it will still be in high demand?

Some women even opted for medicalized procedures so the health risks to the child could be minimized. Could it not be argued that this is a more healthy alternative? As an aspiring global health physician, would I deny a family’s request for an FGM procedure especially when I know they may seek a less safe alernative elsewhere? I mean after all is this not another example of a harm reduction policy?

Eventually, I decided that this is a case where the human rights of the girl/woman must always come first. Girls have a human right to be protected from violence such as FGM (even if it is in the form of unncessary medical treatments). This is because regardless of what cultural reasons or medical precautions are taken, FGM is still a tremendously scarring experience, physically and emotionally. Furthermore, it is important that culturally sensitive paradigms exist to fight FGM because if the culture of demand and gender inequality is not addressed, how much progress can we really make against FGM?

TAKE ACTION:
1. Learn more international action against FGM 
2. FGM contributes to obstetrical problems later in life, this contributes to Maternal Mortality, please support AMPLIFY’s efforts against adolescent maternal mortality
3. Support the grassroots movement of EqualityNow against FGM, FGMFund
4.Learn about one woman’s fight against FGM in Tanzania
5. Read more about the debate surronding FGM
6.Read CultureMed’s (By SUNY) awesome resource on culture and FGM
7. Do traditions trump human rights especially in the case of FGM? Read more.
8. Read this review of what FGM eradication programs work and which ones do not by the World Health Organization